Wednesday, January 13, 2010

No Hidden Weakness

I look up to the mountains; does my strength
come from mountains?
No, my strength
comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth,
and mountains.

Psalm 121:1 (The Message)

From every vantage point I see mountains out my windows. They define, in many respects, “awesome” with their soaring peaks and deep crevices. From a distance I can’t see the trails I have hiked but I know they exist. The mountains are not as impenetrable as they seem and while at one level it would appear they offer an element of safety, they also host a myriad of dangers. It's easy to get lost in the mountains if one gets off the trail.

Trusting in the strength of what we can see, touch and hear isn’t unreasonable until we consider that with every strength there also lies a weakness. My visual of the distant mountains doesn’t give me a complete picture of what exists within its folds. Trusting in their apparent strength and protection becomes short sighted. Those same mountains have also hosted flames, gale force winds and a range of wild animals--all of which have the capacity for destruction.

Every morning, however, the mountains become my reminder of the Strength who made them. They represent only a small portion of what God is able to accomplish. And, while there can be hidden dangers in the mountains, there are no weaknesses hidden in God’s strength.

So, whatever today brings I will look to the mountains and be reminded that my life, my very strength depends on the God who made me.
Creator God, thank you for giving me visual reminders
of your strength, power and creative nature.
I am depending on your strength today
.
Amen.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

WOW . . . every word is true. The mountains look formiable. Yet, we have hiked through them. We know there are trails and passes and bridges cross dangerous waters. So, why is it that from a distance we still fear? Why do we forget that we have passed through with God's help -- surely we will pass again safely to the other side.

There is a big mountain I must cross -- Jesus, pray for me.